Volgren

Volgren manufactures bus bodies in Australia. Headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, the company began in 1945 when George Grenda bought six buses and four bus routes in Melbourne and named the company Grenda. A partnership with Volvo from 1977 to 1987 resulted in a company name change to the company’s current name, Volgren.
In 1979, Volgren began making their own buses to ensure they were reliable, comfortable, lasted a long time and had lower operating costs. Volgren opened a factory in Perth in 1999 when it won a contract with the Public Transport Authority. In 2004, it expanded to open a factory in Brisbane and in 2009 it established a factory in Newcastle.
The Grenda Bus Services arm of the business was sold to Ventura Bus Lines in 2011. In February 2012 the Grenda family sold a majority stake to Brazil-based company Marcopolo.
In 2019, Volgren had its contract with the Public Transport Authority extended for a third time and was required to build 900 buses over the next ten years.